On 1st July in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, a new sculpture to celebrate the late Princess of Wales’s life and legacy. It marks what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday. Although images of the sculptor have yet to be released, artist Ian Rank-Broadley’s work is well known across the globe.
In December of 2017, the Duke of Cambridge and a newly-engaged Prince Harry announced that Rank-Broadley had been selected to create the sculpture of their mother. It was initially expected to be finished in 2019, but the ceremony has been pushed to 2021 to allow people to attend.
Rank-Broadley studied at the Epsom School of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art in the 1970s, and then continued his education at the British School at Rome. He started his career in low relief sculpture but now works in a variety of mediums.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis sculpture is not the first royal project for Rank-Broadley. In 1997, he won a Royal Mint competition – his effigy of The Queen appeared on the obverse of both British and Commonwealth coinage. In 2007, he designed the joint portrait of The Queen and Prince Philip for the crown coin celebrating their sixtieth wedding anniversary. He was also commissioned to design a coin for The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
His sculptural works can be seen in several notable museums, including the British Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, and the Rijksmuseum. His bronze plaque of The Queen in her Garter Robes is still seen at the Supreme Court in London.
Rank-Broadley will be at the Kensington Palace ceremony on 1st July, along with the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Sussex, close family and friends of the Princess, and the sculpture committee. It is thought that there might be a larger event in the autumn when more people can gather.
